Fighting the Holiday Jitters

By Colin Stoecker
Colin Stoecker is a 2012-2013 corps member serving on the Bank of America team at the Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot K-8 School in Mattapan.

Small group mentoring at the Young Achievers School.

With winter recess approaching, the energy in our school is one of excitement and sheer happiness. Everyone loves a positive school climate; however, sometimes it can be difficult for hard work and concentration to thrive in this environment. The children have waited an entire year for the end of December and the celebrations that follow, and no one wants to be the Grinch in the classroom. But how do you balance this excitement while keeping the students focused? This article offers a few ideas from teachers and school partners to help keep students engaged in learning.

Victoria Laboy, 4^th grade teacher at the Young Achievers School said she likes to “keep curriculum focused and engaging.” She stressed the importance of following the normal routine and keeping the work challenging. But she added that it helps to “keep things moving by doing shorter work periods, but with more of a variety of activities.”

Another challenge educators face is the holiday slump where attendance drops as families leave early for holiday vacations. The Bank of America team serving at Young Achievers has planned some holiday incentives, such as a winter dance to help prevent this annual drop in attendance. By rewarding students who have perfect attendance, this VIP dance encourages students to stay in school until the official winter recess begins. Other holiday incentives that encourage attendance include greeting students in the morning with cups of hot chocolate, or hosting holiday parties in your classroom right before vacation begins.

“Exciting incentives always help make students want to come to school,” Amy Steingart, a corps member serving at the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, said. Merit parties promote a positive school climate. Celebrating students’ good behavior and achievements, not only make the students feel proud of themselves, it gives them something to look forward to before winter recess.